What clash for the No. 2 spot? It’s a no-contest!

India pretty much lost the plot- and the match- inside the first hour of Day One of the second cricket test at Ahmedabad. A total of 76 was never going to be enough even against minnows, and the Proteas, who on current form, probably deserve the No 1 spot in test cricket, are anything but minnows. Granted that a majority of this new-look South African team is short on experience in terms of the number of tests compared to the number that most Indian players have played. But experience seems to have counted for nothing on the Motera track. The result: South Africa inflicted a comprehensive defeat, winning the match by an innings and 90 runs with two days to spare.

For Kumble, key players not being 100% match fit was surely a concern at the start of the test. And yes, Dale Steyn and Makhaya Ntini bowled ferociously on Day One. However, nothing can explain the extravagant or lazy shots essayed by many of India’s top order batsmen.

Well done, South Africa! Accurate bowling was followed by some solid batting performances- with Kallis scoring a century and AB de Villiers going one beter to score a double ton. India’s bowling attack looked listless and defanged. It was hard to imagine that many of these same players came together to beat a full-strength Australia in a 5 day cricket match at Perth not so long ago.

Perhaps it is time for a change of guard- at least we will have a plausible excuse for losing. India is now in a must-win situation at Kanpur, where the third and final test match starts next week. South Africa will be high on confidence, and it will take a miracle for India to get out of the hole they’ve dug themselves into.